education reform and process of consultation

ASLI- CPPS, PROHAM & KITA- UKM

REPORT ON

EDUCATION REFORM AND

PROCESS OF CONSULTATION

Published by the

Centre for Public Policy Studies, Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (ASLI-CPPS)

Association for the Promotion of Human Rights (PROHAM)

Institute of Ethnic Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (KITA-UKM)

ASLI-CPPS, PROHAM & KITA-UKM – Education Reform in Malaysia Report (23 April 2012) 1

CONTENTS

Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 2

Executive Summary .............................................................................................................. 3

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................................... 4

General Recommendations ............................................................................................... 4

Recommendations based on the 9 Key Areas of Focus identified by the Ministry of

Education .......................................................................................................................... 5

Teacher Quality.............................................................................................................. 5

Improve the School Curriculum ..................................................................................... 7

Summary of Main Presentations ......................................................................................... 12

Participant‟s Comments ...................................................................................................... 16

Closing Remarks: Dr. Marzuki Mohamad (DPM‟s Office) .................................................... 23

Appendix ............................................................................................................................. 24

APPENDIX 1: Programme ............................................................................................... 24

APPENDIX 2: Participants List ........................................................................................ 26

APPENDIX 3: Additional notes by Muhamad Razif Nasruddin ......................................... 28

APPENDIX 4: Additional Notes by Dato‟ Dahan Latiff ...................................................... 28

APPENDIX 5: Recommendations on Education For Orang Asli ...................................... 28

APPENDIX 6: Recommendations – Sabah Workshop ..................................................... 29

APPENDIX 7: Presentation Paper by YB Dato‟ Saifuddin Abdullah ................................. 30

APPENDIX 8: Presentation Paper by Tan Sri Chan Choong Tak .................................... 31

APPENDIX 9: Principal of “Maximum Consultation” by the Malaysian Christian School

Council ............................................................................................................................ 32


Introduction Last December, the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM), Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin established the National

Education System Evaluation Panel comprising seven experts with the mandate to undertake the first

overall evaluation of the national education system since the Razak Report 1956. The aim of the

evaluation is to improve the quality of education in the country to be on par with that of developed

countries.

Additionally, this year the DPM who is also the Education Minster announced that nationwide National

Education Dialogues would be held to receive feedback from the general public. The DPM affirmed

that his Ministry “will listen to the views, recommendations and ideas from the various strata of the

society, from the various races and from the stakeholders.”

It was in this context that the Persatuan Promosi Hak Asasi Manusia (PROHAM), ASLI-Centre for

Public Policy Studies (CPPS) together with the Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA), Universiti

Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) took the initiative to host a Roundtable Discussion on Education Reform

and Process of Consultation on the 16th April 2012.

A small focus group of educationists, academicians, private sector and civil society leaders attended

the roundtable and provided their views and recommendations in contribution to the national review

and consultation currently undertaken by the federal government.

Three panellists were invited to speak: Tan Sri Chan Choong Tak, former senate speaker & member

of the cluster schools board; Tan Sri Marimuthu, former professor of education, University Malaya;

and Y. B. Dato‟ Saifuddin Abdullah, Deputy Higher Education Minister of Malaysia. The roundtable

was moderated by Tan Sri Dato‟ Asiah Abu Samah, former DG of Education & PROHAM member.

Tan Sri Simon Sipaun, Chairman of PROHAM gave a word of welcome, while the closing summary of

the roundtable findings was presented by Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria from the Institute of Ethnic

Studies (KITA), UKM. A few local media representatives were also present to cover the roundtable.

Earlier this year, on the 27th of February 2012, CPPS-ASLI hosted a Roundtable Discussion on

Vernacular Schools in Malaysia, recognizing that there was a need to review the Education Act and

National Education policy to address issues such as the falling quality of education and increasing

mono-ethnicity in national schools. The roundtable welcomed the move but also expressed concerns

on the composition of the review panel and its objectives.

A number of major themes emerged from the discussion pertaining to Education Reform in Malaysia

in particular, the quality of education and education institutions. Several key concerns were identified,

including: the worsening standards of English language proficiency among students and graduates,

the rote-learning and exam-oriented education system which hinders students‟ creativity and critical

thinking, poor school facilities and funding, overwhelming role of teachers in schools, and the need for

meritocracy and autonomy in the selection of school heads and school management.

This report captures the thoughts shared and expressed by the majority of participants. It is to be

presented to the Education Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on 23rd

April 2012 when he officiates

the 16th Malaysian Education Summit organised by ASLI.

I take this opportunity as coordinator of the ASLI-CPPS, PROHAM and KITA-UKM Roundtable

Discussion to thank all the speakers, interventionists and participants. A special word of thanks to the

CPPS staff team for the coordination of the roundtable discussion and to Ms Arlene Tan for taking

notes and preparing this report.

Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria

Principal Research Fellow, Institute of Ethnic Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

23rd

April 2012


Executive Summary 1. There was a general consensus that Malaysia is in dire need of an education reform. The last

education reform under the Razak Report 1956 is outdated and does not reflect the current

educational needs of a new generation of young people in the 21st century. The culture of

measuring academic achievement with the number of As has bred a generation of parents and

students who are more concerned with academic results rather than with the joy of learning and

individual improvement.

2. The declining level of English language proficiency among students and graduates is a major

concern, as English is the global language of communication and proficiency is required for

research, learning and commerce. Students may not be able to achieve the same level of

proficiency as native speakers or those who went through the British education system which

used English as the medium of instruction. However, further reform is needed in order for

students to be proficient in the language as second language speakers.

3. The school environment has become devoid of fun learning. Students are compartmentalized into

either Science or Arts streams in schools. There is a lack of philosophy underpinning students‟

learning and development. Subjects like art and music are neglected or are little emphasized in

schools. Teachers and schools are too focused on rote-learning. It is important that education in

Malaysia inculcate elements of character building instead of an over emphasis on competency

development.

4. There is a need to foster a multicultural Malaysian identity in schools. Schools ought to be

inclusive; an avenue for students to mix with other students of different races and religions. All

schools should be treated equitably, especially in matters of funding. New school streams such as

English medium schools should be part of the education system and receive equal treatment.

Students should be taught their mother tongues and/or foreign languages of their choice as a third

language in schools.

5. The school board must have greater autonomy in the selection of school heads. Selections

should be made by individual schools based on merit and not on grade or rank.

6. The role of teachers in schools must be addressed. Currently, teachers are burdened with work

beyond their primary scope of teaching. They are tasked with administrative work, extra co-

curriculum activities and meetings. As a result, less time is allocated for actual teaching and

improvement of teaching skills and methods.

7. There is a need to revamp the management of schools. Schools should have smaller class sizes.

Funds should be used for improving school facilities. It is important for all schools to have playing

fields and computer labs in order for students to have a well-rounded education. Schools should

diversify funding through alumni endowment and partnerships with the private sector.

8. The Education Ministry must be more transparent and fair in the selection of teachers. Better

teachers will ensure student development. Meritocracy is important in ensuring our education

system is on par with developed nations.

9. The Education Ministry needs to adopt better key performance indicators (KPI) in education in

order to extend assessments beyond the classroom. There should be more focus and funding

channeled towards the first 12 years of education. Education should be tailored to fit the needs of

different segments of the population. For instance, rural and Orang Asli children may have

different educational needs from urban children.


10. There is a need for greater student empowerment. Education should not be politicized, with

individual interests taking precedence over quality of education. Educationists, teachers, schools,

and students themselves must be the catalysts for educational reform. Students need to be

empowered to take the lead in shaping our education system.

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

General Recommendations

Review and Revamp the Education Policy

The current education system in Malaysia is too examination-oriented and over-emphasizes

rote-learning with institutions of higher learning fast becoming mere diploma mills. We need

to evaluate the objectives and purpose of education, especially in light of Vision 2020, the

New Economic Model (NEM), the challenges of globalisation and modernisation, as well as

changing societal demands.

In this age of information technology and knowledge explosion, there is a limit to how much

content or knowledge teachers can impart to their students. Any knowledge imparted stands a

good chance of becoming obsolete as soon as students step out of schools. However, if

students are equipped with thinking and learning skills, there is no limit to their learning.

Therefore, the curriculum (content/ syllabus and teaching methods) in schools and

universities should be revamped to focus more on learning to think rather than coming to

know. Education at all levels should promote the development of higher-order thinking skills

such as critical and creative thinking, problem-solving and decision-making skills as well as

learning skills. These skills are pre-requisites for continuous and life-long learning in a rapidly

changing world.

In addition,

Education reform must be based on what is clearly stated in the Falsafah Pendidikan

Malaysia (1987). Contrary to common perception, there is nothing inherently wrong with the

education philosophy, neither is it outdated or irrelevant. What is crucial is the interpretation

and implementation of the policy. The National Education Policy (1987) states that:

“Education in Malaysia is an ongoing effort towards further developing the potential of

individuals in a holistic and integrated manner, in order to produce individuals who are

intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically, balanced, based on a firm belief in and

devotion to God. Such an effort is designed to produce Malaysian citizens who are

knowledgeable and competent, who possess high moral standards and who are responsible

and capable of achieving a high level of personal wellbeing to contribute to the betterment of

the nation, family and society.”

Restructure the Education System at All Levels

The education system in Malaysia should be restructured at all levels, shifting away from an

over-emphasis on academic studies to give due attention to vocational and technical

education. Although efforts have been made in this area (Chapter 5, 10th Malaysia Plan),

there must be a sense of urgency to step up such efforts so that the country‟s progress in the

industrial sector will not be disrupted by inadequate skilled labour. The country needs at least


3.3 million skilled workers over the next ten years to meet the requirements of industry, but

currently there are only 15 government vocational schools in Malaysia. Statistics compiled by

GBM (Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia) indicate that every year, out of about 200,000 students

admitted into government and MARA-administered TVET (Technical and Vocational

Education and Training) schools and colleges, less than 1% of them are non-Malays. We

recommend that efforts be stepped up to provide more equitable opportunities to students of

all races for TVET. In addition, we should foster a more multicultural identity in the

administration and staffing of these institutions so as to encourage more non-Malay

participation.

In highly developed and technically advanced countries such as Germany and Japan,

vocational and technical education is an important and integral part of their education

systems. Our student enrollment in vocational education is only about 5% (of total student

enrollment) compared to developed countries in Europe which average more than 50%.

Providing alternative paths within the formal education system for students who are not

academically inclined not only address the problem of school drop-out and attrition, it is a

vital human resource development strategy in moving the nation towards a high-income

developed status.

Foster a Multicultural Malaysian Identity for Schools

Reforms must ensure equity of educational opportunity and freedom of choice in the medium

of instruction at all levels of education, regardless of race, creed or religion. Equitable

financial support and funding must be available for all. In this context, vernacular schools,

such as Chinese, Tamil and even English medium schools should be recognized as national

schools.

Schools should encourage interactions and dialogues among teachers and students of

various ethnic, and religious backgrounds. Schools must be inclusive, accepting pupils and

teachers from diverse backgrounds, so as to foster a multicultural Malaysian identity. Schools

must also be secularized and further effort is needed from the Ministry of Education to ensure

compliance.

Recommendations based on the 9 Key Areas of Focus identified by

the Ministry of Education

1. Teacher Quality

Review the Role of Teachers in Schools

At present, teachers are over-burdened with secondary tasks, such as administrative work,

assessments, and long meetings. Consequently, teachers have little time to invest in teaching

and improving their teaching methods. We recommend that the Education Ministry reviews

the role of teachers in schools, and ensures that the majority of time is spent on teaching.

Schools should be employing non-teaching staff for administrative work.

Address the issues within Teacher’s Training Colleges

The Ministry needs to identify the core reasons for teachers‟ incompetency. There have been

worrying statements made that teacher‟s training college students very rarely fail to graduate.

The underlying reason seems to be that too much money has been invested into these


graduates for them to fail. This has led to an increase in the number of sub-standard

teachers.

The Ministry must also address the issue of employment for TESL teachers who have 4 years

of professional English teaching education. Their teaching positions are filled by graduates

who do not have an English degree and who have only gone through 9 months of teacher

training.

Another important issue to be addressed is affirmative policy to ensure a gender and ethnic

balance in teacher‟s training colleges. At present, the teaching profession is racially skewed

and male teachers are underrepresented. One solution to this is to make the teaching

profession a respectable career.

Enhance Skills through Teacher Training

We recommend that more continuous training is needed to improve teaching skills. A culture

of continuous learning and improvement among teachers is vital to ensure we have world

class teaching standards. We also recommend that the government build more teacher

training colleges.

2. Quality of School Administrative Staff

Give Greater Autonomy to School Management and the Selection of School

Heads

Schools should have autonomy in certain areas, such as the appointment of school heads

and teachers by the school board. School heads should be selected based on merit and

credibility instead of by rank. Schools should also have greater autonomy in initiating school

policy changes and tailoring subjects according to the needs of students. The Sri Cempaka

private school is a good example of greater school autonomy resulting in the improvement of

the school‟s performance and student‟s individual achievement.

3. Quality of Schools - Ensure Subjects Taught are Updated and Current

Set up an Independent Inspection Commission for schools

An Independent Inspection Commission needs to be set up to evaluate 4 key areas of overall

quality of education in schools: (1) achievement of students, (2) quality of teaching, (3) quality

of leadership and school management, and (4) behavior and safety of students. A grading

scale is to be used in reporting the effectiveness of schools i.e. 1: Outstanding, 2: Good, 3:

Satisfactory, 4: Inadequate. The results of such evaluation are to be published at least

annually for the public to see. A non-governmental, independent body in place that is

answerable before the parliament is vital for improving the quality of schools in Malaysia by

providing constant scrutiny on the conditions present at each institution. Even though the

Education Ministry has already set up an agency responsible for school assessment, we

recommend to the government to set up an independent commission for better transparency

that would disclose the evaluation of schools to the public as well.

Nurture Student Empowerment


Students are the ones experiencing the educational system and they are the ones that have

the most to gain from it. As such, we recommend that student empowerment is pursued and

nurtured. Especially in a country that suffers from political apathy and low election turnouts,

student empowerment can achieve the adoption of good habits that could last for many years

after school education. Student bodies should be democratically elected by the students

themselves to provide an avenue for active participation in discussions on matters that affects

them, as well as a sense of duty and responsibility. We recommend student elections to be

held as early as primary schools to encourage student empowerment and student choice.

Through such student bodies, students should be given the chance to have a say in their

education curriculum and in decisions related to improving the student and learning

experience.

4. Improve the School Curriculum

Adopt a Balanced Curriculum with Provision for Developing Students’

Multiple Intelligences

We recommend a new paradigm shift in education, by balancing students‟ exposure to and

learning in both liberal arts and sciences. It is important that schools become the platform for

students to gain a holistic development of the mind. We recommend adopting the 40:60

Liberal Arts and Sciences learning in our education system. By liberal arts, we mean

literature, languages, and history, as well as music and art.

Research over the years has led educators to adopt the theory of multiple intelligences such

as that advocated by Howard Gardner. It is important that the educational system recognizes

this, by providing ample opportunities for students to pursue studies in different streams such

as vocational/ technical skills in schools. Students who are non-academic-inclined would

benefit from the availability of alternatives and choices.

Review Current Co-Curriculum in Schools

The current requirement in schools is students‟ compulsory participation in sports, societies

and a uniform body of their choice. We recommend that this is changed from the three, to at

most two of the above; and that the students themselves have the freedom of choice. This

way, we leave it to the students to choose extra-curricular activities that they are interested in

rather than those being forced on them. . We also recommend that in addition to this change,

the schools increase the time allocation ratio of co-curricular to academic from the existing

10:90 to 30:70.

Review School Curriculum Structure

We also recommend that MOE focuses on structuring a new curriculum that develops

reading, writing and arithmetic among pre-school and primary school students to address the

issues of lack of basic literacy among students from low-income families. There is a

significant group of children nationwide who are deprived of pre-school education. For those

that do have pre-school education, the quality is questionable. It has been supported by

research that the return of investment for the nation in pre-school and primary education is

greater than the return of investment in higher education.

In addition, we recommend that the school curriculum provides a cross-disciplinary integrated

approach encompassing holistic learning that would be relevant to the learners‟ real world

experiences and the development of problem-solving skills. To strengthen the learning of

English, there is a need to develop students‟ English literacy. Worthy of adoption is the


reading programme used in the United Kingdom schools i.e. graded readers and reading

journals. Furthermore, an empirical-based core vocabulary list is recommended. As learners

need to have several encounters with a word in different contexts to learn it effectively, this

core vocabulary list should guide the design and development of English textbooks,

workbooks, story books and audio-visual learning aids.

The Ministry could also study the curriculum structure adopted by International Schools in

Malaysia, which are able to produce students who can read and write well at a very early age.

There is also greater freedom of learning given to the students in International Schools, such

as the freedom to choose their own subjects, to study at their own pace, to move one level up

or down based on their learning abilities, etc.

Restructure and Regulate Remove Class Curriculum

Students from vernacular schools are usually weaker in Bahasa Malaysia and are required to

attend remove classes. As this is a transitional year before going on to Form One to re-join

their peers from other non-vernacular schools, it is imperative that they are given intensive

Bahasa Malaysia classes to strengthen their command of the national language. Another

recommendation is to restructure the remove class curriculum, to provide students the

opportunity to re-learn selected primary school subject areas – e.g. math, science, history,

geography -- in Bahasa Malaysia. This will equip them with the relevant subject vocabulary (in

Bahasa Malaysia) to facilitate transition into national secondary schools where the medium of

instruction for most subjects is Bahasa Malaysia.

Improve Student Soft Skills

Students need to improve their communication abilities and how they interact with others.

Many employers have raised concerns about the poor communication skills among Malaysian

employees, especially when compared with foreigners. Communication skills include the skills

for effective transfer of ideas and knowledge, either in writing, speaking or through various

tools and aids, including body language; as well as attitude towards communication,

openness to both positive or negative feedbacks, and the ways of interacting and mingling

with people.

Review Orang Asli Education Policy

The Orang Asli needs a special education policy in order to reduce the poor academic results

and high dropout rates1 among the orang asli students. Their formal educational experiences

in schools overall also need to be tailored to suit their cultural norms and practices.

5. Multilingual Proficiency - Increase the Number of Languages Spoken by

Students

Enhance English Language Proficiency

English is an important global language. The Education Ministry needs to have a

comprehensive review of the method of teaching the English language subject in schools.

The first 12 years of the students‟ education is crucial in mastering the English language.

The Ministry of Education has yet to fully deal with the English language policy issue. Further

research on case studies from other countries is needed, as students from other countries are

catching up with us in their command of the language.

1 Source: Suhakam Report 2006


The Ministry allows the mushrooming of new international schools with English as the

medium of instruction and yet the request of some parents and educationists for English-

medium national schools is being turned down or frowned upon. Instead, the Ministry ought to

address the issue of English Competency pragmatically. These are our recommendations:

I. Retain PPSMI Policy

The teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) should be

retained in the education system in Malaysia. However, to ensure learning of English is

effective among students, it is important that Arts subjects such as History and Geography

are taught as bilingual subjects in both Malay and English languages.

II. Introduce Special Intensive Programme in Advanced English

Another consideration is to introduce a Special Intensive Programme that would provide

enhanced English teaching to promising students that show an aptitude for the language to

better prepare them for the use of the language at an advanced level. This model has been

successfully implemented in residential schools such as MARA. Such a programme would

benefit especially children from the rural areas and low-income families.

III. Reintroduce English Medium of Instruction in Schools

Many parents who are able to afford expensive tuition fees send their children to international

schools, which explain the rapid rise of international schools in the country. In addressing the

issue, the government should take heed at strengthening the English language proficiency of

the majority of Malaysian students, who are not able to afford expensive private education.

English Mission Schools in Malaysia are keen to reintroduce English Schools where English

is the medium of instruction. Recognising that English is an important global language, these

schools could play a leading role in improving the English language proficiency standards

among students.

In this regard, the government should also consider re-introducing English Public Schools in

Malaysia. We recommend having 10% of national schools to adopt an English-medium of

instruction, in order to ensure that at least 10% of Malaysian students are proficient in

English.

Teach a Third Language

Schools should offer multilingual learning or a third language subject, after English and Malay.

With the increasing demand for international languages for commerce and global

communication, being multilingual is an added advantage for Malaysian students to compete

in the global environment. Furthermore, it is also important for students to embrace their

cultural heritage through mastering their mother tongue language.

Hence, the choice of a third language can be an option to students to either choose their own

mother tongue/community language such as Mandarin or Tamil, or global/foreign languages

such as French, Arabic and Japanese.


6. Post-School Opportunities - Improve Student Readiness for Job Markets

Make it compulsory to have a Pass in English for University Entrance

In order to increase the competency of students in the English language, it should be made a

requirement for students to gain at least a pass in SPM English in order to enter university.

However, that would be dependent on the chosen field of study; having at least a credit in

English should be made compulsory for university entrance to English-related fields or

courses. This should be the first step, to be revised and raised in the future.

Encourage Teaching as a Professional Career

We recommend that the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) focuses on nurturing quality

human capital. We would like to suggest for MOHE to select 50 of the best students to be

sent to the best tertiary institutions in the world to pursue Education degrees, with a bond to

offer their services to the national education for at least 4-6 years when they return. They

could also be offered to be sent to foreign missions for exposure for 3 to 4 years. They can

either continue teaching or join the civil service after that, or change a career altogether if they

want.

Furthermore, attractive salary and better mobility would encourage these graduates to make

teaching as their top choice as a profession. This has been successfully implemented in

Scandinavian countries where teaching is a competitive profession among top graduates and

is one of the top choices as a career.

7. Involve Parents, Private Sector and Communities as Partners in

Education

Strengthen School Governance Framework

It is important that all stake holders i.e. headmasters, the Chairman of PTA, alumni, and

student representatives work together in raising the standards of the school system.

Such an all-encompassing governance framework can play a very important role, especially

in government assisted schools, where it can act as a mechanism to provide a clear

instrument of implementation and a reduction of the government‟s responsibilities.

Funding has always been an issue to the schools; through this framework there would be a

comprehensive mechanism to facilitate Alumni for Endowment Funds, and increase the

financial reserves of the schools.

8. Improve Efficiency of Resource Management

Allocate Equitable Budget

The Education Ministry should set the criteria and priority of funding allocations based on

equitable distribution (relativity and the proportion of budget per capita) and ensuring that the

funding goes directly to critical areas and improves students‟ performances in schools. There

is a need for schools to have proper, modern computer labs, well-equipped libraries, playing

fields, etc. A lot of schools, especially those in the rural areas are being neglected; school

buildings and facilities are in very poor conditions. Furthermore, it is important that the


government recognizes that national-type schools are not included in the government‟s

development budget allocation; these schools are in dire need of better schools buildings and

facilities.

Additionally, the government should avoid politicization of education; the funding allocation

ought to be given to schools as a requirement, not for compensation during elections.

Set Up New Schools based on Demand

Whenever there‟s a fall in the enrolment of students in a school, the school is not able to

close down because the current system encourages „closing down one school and opening

up another school elsewhere‟. This situation is much more prevalent among national-type

schools. The most effective way would be to close a school with reduced enrolment numbers

and only open a new school when there is a demand for it.

9. Administrative Structure of the Ministry of Education

Review the KPIs of MOE

We recommend that the Ministry of Education (MOE) reviews the key indicators to measure

students‟ performance. The current KPIs focus widely on academic results and examinations

rather than addressing the greater issues of the plummeting quality of education and the high

rates of unemployment/low wages faced by Malaysian graduates.

The Education Ministry also needs to widen education assessment beyond the classroom and

incorporate the realities that the younger generation of today would have to face after school.

Additional Recommendations:

In addition to the above recommendations, several other recommendations were derived from the

Roundtable Discussion. These are recommendations that the Ministry of Education has already

recognized as important and in fact, some of these policies are being implemented in selective

schools around Malaysia. However, we would like to urge the Ministry of Education to hasten the

implementation of these policies nationally:

1. Single Session Schools

The government should consider the implementation of single session schools nationwide. With the

single session schools, students will have ample time to play, take up a hobby, do extra revision and

spend quality time with their family. Students should not be burdened by too much school work and

classes.

2. Smaller class size in schools

The quality of education depends on the quantity of the student population in the classroom. By

having fewer students, the teachers would be able to pay more attention to each student in the class.

We recommend reducing classes to a maximum of 35 students.

3. Moral Class for Muslims and Non-Muslims


We recommend that the moral education class be taught for both Muslim and non-Muslim students,

instead of providing the Muslim students with a separate class for Islamic education during the same

time. Although this has been implemented in selected schools in the urban areas, we would like the

moral education class to be inclusive and implemented nationally to all students. The curriculum for

moral studies should focus on the multi-religious and multi-ethnic identities of the children rather than

approaching it from a mono-cultural, mono-religious viewpoint as practiced currently, i.e. moral

lessons are based on Islamic teaching. There is a need for inter-faith studies and moral education is

an important avenue to broaden children‟s views and understanding of each other.

Summary of Main Presentations

Welcoming remarks: Tan Sri Simon Sipaun

On behalf of PROHAM, I would like to welcome each and every one of you to this roundtable

discussion on Education and Process of Consultation. I wish to express and record my appreciation to

our co-hosts, the Centre for Public Policy Studies (CPPS), Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute

(ASLI) and KITA. I note that our panellists comprise of eminent personalities, highly qualified and

experienced in the field of education. This being the case, I am confident that this roundtable

discussion would be able to achieve its objective and come up with comprehensive, objective and

useful recommendations for submission to the authorities.

Personally, I am totally ignorant of the Malaysian Education System, apart from a very sketchy

knowledge which I obtained through reading. I sat for my Cambridge Overseas School Certificate

Examination in 1957. Despite dedicated and highly disciplined teachers, only one in my batch

obtained Grade one passed, a few obtained Grade two and the rest obtained Grade three or fail.

These days getting 10 As or 12 As appears to be routine. I hope that this is a reflection of the

generally higher standards of education. I hope that it does not reflect the attainment of quantity at the

expense of quality.

I also did not have the opportunity to attend university in Malaysia, I left North Borneo (Sabah), before

it became part of Malaysia on the 16th of September 1963, I returned to a new country. Before the

formation of Malaysia, the language used for correspondence in the civil service was English. When

Malaysia came into being, it was changed into the Malay language. Malay was regularly used in

Sabah as a national language, first monthly, then yearly, and eventually on a permanent basis. It was

the beginning of the decline in the standard of English in the country. The pros and cons of this policy

are still being debated. Whether we like it or not, English is the language of commerce, science and

now the internet. Indeed, it is the language of the world. Strong political will is needed to face narrow-

minded nationalists, with no excuses stemming from racism and nationalism, so as not to impede the

advancement of English.

Education and religion in my view should not be politicized. I believed there are more than 60,000

graduates currently who are unemployed due to poor linguistic and social skills. The Minister of

Education reported recently that Malaysian children are receiving better quality of education than in

America, Germany and United Kingdom. If this is indeed true, political leaders should lead by

example and not send their own children overseas for education. We should have no cause for

concern.

However, on the ground I have yet to meet anyone who agrees with the Education Minister. This is

akin to saying that Malaysian bullock carts are better than cars produced in the United States,

Germany, and England. No Malaysian universities rank in the top 10 among ASEAN countries. The

top university in the region is in Singapore, followed by universities in Thailand and Indonesia. No


Malaysian universities are in the top 400 in the world either. Can we claim to be on par with the best

universities in the world?

Ladies and Gentlemen, you are the experts and hopefully by the end of the discussion we will have

the answer to that question. Thank you.

Panellist 1: Tan Sri Chan Choong Tak

Tan Sri Simon mentioned the statement that our education standards are higher than in Britain and

Germany. I was bewildered until I read the Star article entitled “Report supports case for English”. The

Deputy Prime Minister‟s (DPM) statement was based on the result of the World Economic Forum‟s

(WEF) Global Competitive Index (GCI) report 2011-2012. The compiled data are from the viewpoints

of top businessmen and financial leaders in the world, who seek to send their children to the best

schools in the world. Our schools were ranked number 14 in the world.

In a proper analysis carried out in a broad base study, incorporating the viewpoints of students,

universities and others, the results showed that Malaysia‟s education standards are far below

average. I believe this could be one of the reasons the DPM formed the National Education Panel

Council to review our education system.

I am retired but I am still a member of the cluster school committee. The committee studied the

education systems of different countries and made recommendations to the Ministry of Education.

Soon after we made the recommendations, the current DPM was appointed Minister of Education,

replacing Datuk Seri Panglima Hishamuddin Hussien. We are happy that one of our committee,

Professor Khoo Kay Kim has been appointed to the Education Review Panel. I hope our views will be

received.

I would like to touch on the issue of schools:

o Headmasters are appointed according to rank and point system: In other developed

countries, their appointment is left to the board, and is merit-based. Determination of

salary and incentives should be under the purview of the ministry.

o Allow teachers to teach: Teachers are too busy doing administrative work, conducting

assessments and attending meetings instead of teaching. Teachers should not be

burdened by administrative work; instead, the schools can appoint a clerk or non-

teaching staff to do administrative work. We should allow our teachers more

interactive learning time with their students. Based on my personal experience as a

former teacher, I say all this with conviction. There should be less school-based

assessment.

o The school atmosphere needs to be fun: My grandchild hates attending the Chinese

medium school because it is not fun. The school system is all about memorizing facts

and figures and then reproducing them rather than instilling creativity and creating a

good learning experience.

o The education system is too result-oriented: The current system emphasizes the

number of As attained in examinations. During my time, it used to be difficult to get a

distinction in schools, but nowadays, the standard of exams has been lowered to the

point that students can acquire many distinctions or As in school. The system has

become too result-oriented.

o The size of schools is too large: During my time there were only a few hundred

students in a school. Now there are more than a thousand students in a school. It

looks like a factory. Instead of enlarging schools, the Education Ministry should keep

the school size to a reasonable number of between 800 and 1000 students.


o Closing schools due to decrease in student enrollment: The system encourages the

closing one school to coincide with the opening of another. The most effective way to

deal with this issue is to close schools where there is a sharp decrease in enrollment

and only open a new school when there is a demand.

o Malaysianize schools: Vernacular schools are becoming a political tool for racial

polarisation. Schools are for educating Malaysians but this has been overridden by

racial-centric educationists such as the Dong Jiao Zong fighting for the existence of

Chinese Schools, Indian educationists fighting for Tamil schools, and Mara College

which is almost entirely Malay in composition. Both vernacular and national schools

should cater to all Malaysians. Teachers from all races should be allowed to teach in

any school, regardless of the school‟s medium of instruction.

o All schools must be treated equally: I believe all schools must be treated as national

schools with funds to be allocated equally. This is not the case at present. Christian

mission schools are under Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon‟s ministry. We have requested

funding from his ministry a number of times but funding has instead been channeled

for use as grants for elections or for holding national festivals.

Panellist 2: Tan Sri T Marimuthu

The problems and weaknesses of the education system were discussed by the previous speaker, but

in evaluating the education system, we need to understand the education philosophy. This philosophy

calls for holistic development of the student – physically, intellectually and spiritually. In line with the

government‟s call for Vision 2020, we need to acquire educated and skilled manpower. Under the

New Economic Policy (NEP), we need to redress ethnic imbalances and develop a national

integration plan. We also need to address the demands of globalisation and modernisation. Parents

and the entire nation have expectations of the education system. We need to produce global citizens

who are responsible to the nation.

Does our education fulfill these demands and objectives?

The Razak Report was a milestone for the country. There has never since been a comprehensive

study of our national education system. I would like to congratulate the current DPM for setting up a

review panel for our education system.

We must look at the strength of the education system. In the last 50 years, we have moved away from

elitist education and we have followed the 11 + examination. We have democratized the education

system up to form 3. We also took away the UPSR and PMR. This is a great achievement. Now,

every socio-economic level has been raised and the literacy level has gone up. As of 2009, 90% of

the population is literate.

But what has gone wrong? We have to look at the current situation in our education system. Some

issues are real, but are merely perceived. What are the real issues?

o Basic literacy: Quality is measured through achievement, evidenced by exam passes and

distinctions. But look at the number of pupils who do not have basic literacy skills, even after 6

years of schooling. We have democratized access, but have we increased the level of literacy

among students?

o Quality of courses: The general standards have fallen. We look at graduates from the school

system and question if they possess the skills that are in demand by local and global society.

We would need to identify the underlying cause of this. I read an article from the NST entitled

“The Decay of the Education System” which emphasized the aspects of education which have

seen a decline in standards.


o Quality of teachers: I have no supporting data on this, but this is a perception. We have

witnessed some unprofessional behavior by teachers, such as violence and name-calling. All

of this will definitely affect student morale. Many children are from poor backgrounds –

teachers need a missionary spirit in interacting with such students.

o Curriculum of schools: We must review the relevance of the curriculum which is based on the

Razak report, as the report was formulated during a period of conflicting cultural needs.

o Language Proficiency: The standard of English language proficiency is an issue of concern.

Some of our corporate leaders are unable to communicate satisfactorily with foreigners and

this is an indication that English language competency has declined.

How can these issues be solved?

o Schools must make learning fun. Schools and teachers must look at good schools as

case studies to understand how to improve the learning environment.

o Schools should encourage more science societies to be formed among students.

o Vernacular schools will no longer be a problem as the government has given its

assurance that it will not touch on the rights of minorities to learn in their mother

tongue.

Panellist 3: Y. B. Dato’ Saifuddin Abdullah

In this present situation, we need to come up with a checklist as we embark on reform of the

education system. The Education Minister has already lined up 9 key areas of focus for the education

system.

We need to revisit the philosophy of learning and realign ourselves with that philosophy. We also

need to realign ourselves with the objective of education. I am reminded of the words by Professor S.

Naquib al-Attas, “The objective of education is to raise a good son/man, not a good worker.”

Some points on the objectives of education:

o The pursuit of knowledge and culture

o Language/ communication skills: not just communication, but also the attitude

towards communication. It is more internal than external. It is about interacting and

mingling with people.

o Critical thinking

o Being a good, moral citizen

o Living in a global and plural society

o Having an interest. People tend to be too bored with life, not knowing what to do,

especially during weekends

o Career preparation for jobs

Another point to make is that our review will not be happening in a vacuum. We are a society in

transition. If I could use spheres and circles as an analogy: we used to live in one sphere, where life

did not vary much – for instance, everyone understood the meaning of „patriotism‟. But now there is a

new sphere. In this new sphere, people may identify with patriotism in different ways, such as singing

rock songs on patriotism. Different spheres have different realities, new forms and organisations. Our

nation is a society in transition; we need to ensure that we are keeping up with the times. In fact, there

may be a new sphere forming as we speak now.

My third point is on 60:40 curriculum of sciences and arts. Is the current curriculum still valid? In

university, we are facing a decline in enrolment into science subjects. We also have situations where


boarding schools are 100% science, instead of applying the 60:40 system. We need to look into the

issue further.

On the issue of segregation, we may talk endlessly about the increasing enrolment of students in

Chinese schools, but there are more private and cluster schools coming up and some have been

doing very well.

In co-curriculum activities, we have a 90:10 system. We need to strengthen this component in the

education system, and look at the whole eco-system and sub-areas. Number one is sports, the “1

Murid 1 Sukan” policy should be applauded. But making student participation in sports, society and

curriculum compulsory is not relevant at all. It is better for students to specialize in two activities of the

three.

On sports, the education authority should not limit sports to competitions or classes. The schools

should encourage the students to form clubs and groups.

An additional element is to focus on areas such as debate, entrepreneurship, creativity and

innovation. Innovation in particular is not just about science but can be applied on other subjects too.

We also need to come up with a School Governance Framework. It is important for all stake holders

to be on board; where headmasters, chairman of PTA, alumni, student representatives work together

towards improving the school‟s performance. It is also important to facilitate alumni in creating an

endowment fund to increase the financial reserves of the school.

I strongly recommend increasing student empowerment and student choice. We need to seize every

opportunity to educate a good man. Unfortunately, only 30% of our citizens get some exposure on

exercising democracy and voting, as early election exposure starts only in the university instead of

from high school. On another note, we need to keep up with the new generation, adopting new

technology ourselves and educating young people on the use of technology. For example, instead of

banning hand phones in schools, we should be educating young people on the right way to handle

technology.

Participant’s Comments

Moderator: Tan Sri Dato’ Asiah Abu Samad

Based on my experience in Suhakam, it was very hard to get universities to open their doors and

allow human rights societies on campus. I also noticed that students in form 5 and 6 used to have

better empowerment by comparison to the present.

Intervention 1

International schools in practical terms are different in a number of aspects: Students study at their

own pace, pick their own subject and are allowed to accumulate 5 credits in at least 2 sittings to do

their foundation. There are no external exams. They can move up or down a step within the school

levels if they cannot cope with the syllabus. It makes it easier to choose their career path when they

proceed to O-Levels and A Levels.

In the formative years, the students attend kindergarten at four and start year One when they are five.

The students between the age of 4, 5 and 6 years old are still treated like children, and the emphasis


is on the 3Rs. By the ages of 7 and 8, they have learned to read and write well due to the structure of

the curriculum.

There are some things we might not be able to apply in national schools like choice of teachers. In the

international school system, my daughter and son attained better results but they could not have

survived in national schools. The paradox is even students with many As in national schools may not

be able to get into the top international universities as the standards of students is not on par at

international level.

Intervention 2

As a person from the Ministry of the Higher Education, I have some worrying statistics to share with

you. I would like to highlight that these are about the quality and standards of students that KPT gets

from MOE. This is also part of the manifestation of frustration of being in KPT. Before that, Tan Sri

was talking about the perception of reality; I think with these facts, it would become reality. In KPT we

have an assessment of soft skills of the students. The moment they entered university, they are

measured through these 6 elements: critical thinking, communication skills, team work, morality and

ethics, leadership, lifelong learning, and entrepreneurship competency.

There are 3 elements where 58.56% of the students do not meet the minimum criteria: critical

thinking, entrepreneurship competency and team work. Majority of students failed in these areas. In

terms of competency of language in comparison, Malay language competency fares better than

English, but in terms of speaking, 32.63% does not meet with the minimum criteria in Malay, as

compared to English at 68.22% that does not meet the minimum competency level. This is supported

by another study; 53% of IPTA students are placed in band 1 and 2 in the Malaysian University

Examination Test (MUET). Another study shows that only 7% of employers agreed our graduates are

competent in English. 60% of lecturers in IPTA are not competent at teaching in English. In a study by

Job Street, 55.5% of employers say that the reason they do not hire local graduates is because they

have poor command of English.

I‟m sharing this, because we are quite stressed as our performance is based on our KPIs, and our

KPIs are based on the percentage of our graduates getting jobs. Whereas for MOE, whenever their

Ministry makes a statement it is mostly on the percentage of their students getting straight As or the

percentage of their students improving in their courses. It is absurd that within 2-4 years we are

expected to produce quality graduates with high skills to lead the country. More than 40% of our

graduates are getting income at less than RM1500, yet we are looking at becoming a developed

country with graduates having an income of at least RM5000 on average.

The KPIs of MOE and schools need not only be based on academic achievements but also on the

soft skills of the graduates. Our expectations are too high but the reality is that the graduates‟ quality

is too low. The KPIs of the Minister of Education need to change and include other elements such as

beyond-classroom learning activities, multidisciplinary learning at secondary level, etc.

The Minister of Education would also need to observe and assess the competency of teachers.

Intervention 3

It is unrealistic to expect the English language proficiency level of our students to be on par to the

proficiency level of native English speakers. There is a need to define what the competency level is

for English as a second language for Malaysian students. Unlike the education system in the past


which used English as the medium of instruction, in the current system, English is only taught in a

class as a subject.

I would also like to suggest having a pass in English as the basis of university entrance.

Intervention 4

KPT spent too much money in universities in terms of intervention programmes, yet the result remains

the same or worsening. I believe the best investment for the government is to invest on the early 12

years of education of the students, with the aim of raising the standard of English among the students.

When students enter university, the KPT should only focus on polishing their linguistic skills.

Intervention 5

I think it is possible for students to be proficient in the English language, but the government needs to

strategise its education system for long term commitment, such as having five-year planning, to

ensure the goal is well-attained and not merely short term solutions. Malaysia is the centre of

Southeast Asia; we are looking at the possibility of an influx market without the capabilities to speak

English, and this is going to be a problem.

Intervention 6

Studies have shown that we can never achieve the goal of having our students be proficient in

English as long as English is taught as second or third language. During the British education,

Malaysian students were taught as native speakers in English, and most of the students excelled in

learning English. We need to have an intervention at the school level to increase the student

proficiency.

Intervention 7

The most important factor in learning a language is motivation. The motivation of education itself is

very important for both students and teachers which is very much lacking, and the government would

need to re-think some of its education policies and implementation methods.

Intervention 8

I am working on a PhD research on English vocabulary acquisition for pre-school learners, focusing

on Tabika Perpaduan children from low-income families. Children are taught to learn many words with

very little recycling of words in the classroom. In fact, learners need different encounters of the same

word in different settings, in different ways before the word is learned. Children learn words very fast

but they also forget equally fast. As such, there is a need for a core vocabulary list for primary school

English syllabus; these words are selected based on criteria such as word frequency, utility, learner

interest, and cultural context. These core words then form the basis for the development of English

language learning materials and are repeated and recycled in textbooks, workbooks, story books and

audio-visual learning aids. We also need more structured reading programme like in the United


Kingdom, and also to the use of a reading journal to link school and family participation in developing

the children‟s literacy level.

Intervention 9

The quality of teachers is important, and the selections made are important to schools. I heard from

one source (but I have no concrete evidence on it) that the education authorities do not select the

best teachers, because they will not stay put or consider it as a long term career option.

The curriculum also needs revamping. Our curriculum is out-dated.

Another concern is the teachers‟ incompetency. How many people in the teachers‟ college have been

failed due to their incompetency but they are not let to fail? The excuse from the government is that it

has invested too much on them. For example, some teachers have anger management issues, and

are not competent to be teachers.

Also, the Ministry of Education took KPLI students from other courses (not related to teaching) with

only 9 months of training in English and they are guaranteed to become teachers, while the 4 years

educated TESOL teachers are left without jobs.

Many teachers are frustrated and some left the sector to join corporations, but there are a few good

case studies such as in Lahat Datu where the teachers have made a great impact in teaching and

educating the students. Teachers should be left to only teach; on the other hand the Students‟ Affairs

Department should be the one left with clerical work and student assessment. Surprisingly, no matter

how weak or difficult the students were in learning, most complaints from the teachers are not about

the teaching but the over pouring paperwork and meetings. Some of the TESOL teachers are really

passionate and want to make a difference. And they can make a difference; one good case study is a

project to teach children from the outskirt areas in Sarawak.

Intervention 10

In my 35 years of teaching profession, there were many changes made in a good way. When the

Razak Report came, the Tamil estate schools were given a new life. I would like to highlight some

major issues of concern in schools:

o The attitude at that time was that the students were able to have fun and learn basic

knowledge; nowadays there is too much control and discipline in schools. Even with a

principal and normal class schedule, the same school is also providing additional tuition to the

students. The newspapers and ministers have given too much importance on higher grades.

The need for children to have fun in schools, through learning music for example is important.

We used to learn many songs in school; nowadays the only thing children could do is to sing

Rasa Sayang. Music is sometimes substituted for exam subjects.

o Religion has taken a very important role in schools. Even in my school days we had March

songs, but now the students have religious songs in multiracial schools. For 20 years we

wanted to meet the Education Minister; I only retired in 2009 from the Inter-religious Council. I

believe moral education should be a subject for both Muslims and non-Muslims; they should

be sitting together in learning moral education, instead of having the Muslim students have a

separate Islamic education class at the same time. The government needs to review on the

matter.


o There are lands that belong to Tamil schools being acquired to build new schools which were

not there and estates being acquired by the government to accomplish development projects

(which are passed by the parliament). There seems to be some sort of marginalisation

towards the minority communities.

The committee should consider only single session schools. Within the next 10 years, all

schools should be single session schools; students should be more liberal, have more play

time and the interest in exam subjects be less. We need the students to enjoy themselves.

Intervention 10

When we look into school transformation, we must look into two levels: First is the government level –

change in school curriculum, government policy, teacher‟s training and motivation. The second level,

which is equally important, is school innovation. Schools themselves need to take the initiative to

transform themselves. Schools need to tailor-make the subjects according to needs, and schools

need better autonomy and to take initiative to institute school policy changes. For example, the Saint

Xavier School in Penang, where Brother Paul Ho built a bakery and started giving bakery classes to

the students, ensured that the students learn not only how to bake, but also to read, calculate and be

an entrepreneur. These kinds of initiatives and possibilities need to be there for schools to transform.

Intervention 12

On behalf of the Christian Mission Schools Council, we would like to have a say on the appointment

of headmasters. In Mission Schools, we have passionate principals and teachers, such as the

example of Brother Paul Ho from Saint Xavier School. As of right now the Methodist Council of

Education has 34 primary schools and 23 Secondary schools all over Malaysia, and we are in

constant dialogue with the Ministry of Education on the issue of headmasters‟ appointment.

Secondly, we are looking at the de-registration of those schools. We have schools like the MGS P2 in

Brickfields, the Methodist Boys‟ School in Sentul, and the Target School in Penang. In the hay days

we had 1500 students‟ enrollment, but today we have less than 200 students. Looking at these

figures, we from the Methodist Council of Education would like to have these schools back and to

have our own private education of social enterprise. We are not a business entity; whatever surpluses

we have would be channeled back to the education. Our intention is to build our human capital

together with the national policy makers. We have engaged with the Ministry of Education and hope to

convince them on our proposal. Right now, our flagship school is Wesley Methodist Sentul; it is very

successful and in fact charging fees at a rate much lower than International Schools. We do provide

excellent education to all Malaysians, with the Malaysian syllabus.

However, we need funding from the government; I have travelled to some of our Methodist schools in

Sugai Siput, Tanjung Malim, Nebung Karbau, and so on; these places are prone to floods and most

chairs and tables are second-hand from the government schools. I appeal to the government: we

gave the land and buildings to the government in 1960s without charging any rentals. Hence we need

the government to take the opportunity to maintain the buildings and facilities of the mission schools.

The Malaysian Christian Schools Council has been in constant dialogue with the PPIT and has

established with certainty as being brought up by Dato‟ Saifuddin Abdullah, that the community, the

board of management and governance, the alumni and the PTA, must play a very important role in

the government assorted schools. And we have come up with a very clear instrument of governance;

in fact It has been in the act - 1961, 1962, 1971, and 1997. We want to help the schools and not to

interfere with the management of the schools.


There are many misunderstandings on our role in education, especially the misunderstanding on our

ethos and the character of the Mission Schools. When we were organising the Methodist School

Heads Conference National, which was never a Christian religious activity as thought by some of the

parents, even the special branch came to interfere. Actually, the whole programme is a professional

development for the Methodist School heads. In this regard, we were asked by the authorities, upon

the request of Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon and Tan Sri Bernand, to present our ethos and character as a

mission school. (The Christian Mission Schools Council has submitted a memorandum to the ministry,

the document on the Ethos and Character of Mission Schools is also attached in this report).

Intervention 13

I would like to express a few solutions:

o We thought too much on the concept of 3R. In fact, very few students got into post-graduate

studies as we have become too materialistic as a society. From these few post-graduates,

fewer are producing new knowledge.

o We should take 50 of the most intelligent people in Malaysia and offer to send them to the

best schools in the world to study Education. I know Columbia University has a good

programme. When they return back to Malaysia, the government can have an arrangement

for them to teach for 4 years locally as a form of national service, as well as be sent to foreign

missions for exposure for 3 to 4 years. They can either continue teaching or join the civil

service. This is how we nurture high level, quality human capital. These graduates from

Oxford, Harvard and other excellent universities can also be the role models for the children

they are teaching and having the children to aspire to be like them.

Instead of spending tax payers‟ money on ineffective programme, the government should

invest into a serious solution rather than having short term fixes.

Intervention 14

The quality of education depends on the quantity of students in school classes. In La Salle School we

have a new policy where we reduce classes to 35 students and have single session schools, while

encouraging students to take up dance, arts, drama and music, etc.

Education also should not be divided into merely arts and sciences; it should incorporate technology

which is a whole new sphere.

I recommend that we need more teacher training colleges to produce people that can help our

younger generation.

Intervention 15

NUTP is the biggest teachers‟ union in Malaysia. I recommend that we need to develop more fun and

joyful learning experiences in school. Today we have 450,000 teachers and 5 million children. We do

not have enough teachers. We should also consider being technology-friendly in schools, by for

example, allowing the use of hand phones. It is easier said than done, and we need to consider the

many different types (character and behavioural patterns) of students in schools before implementing

this.


On learning the English language, in terms of practicality, some in the rural areas may not need to be

very proficient in English because they do not need it as much. Sadly, I believe the low-quality

educational product of today‟s students is due to the poor quality of the teachers.

Intervention 16

I appeal to the organiser to have a sub-roundtable and follow ups. Education should be the

development of the mind, and not just about learning or knowledge. Education is about learning to

think rather than coming to know. It is about teaching critical thinking rather than enforcing blind

memorizing.

Intervention 17

In school, the learning method for sciences is very linear, while the arts are all about discovery. Our

education system puts more emphasis on sciences than the arts. We need a new paradigm of

approaching education; we need to combine arts and sciences into a concept I call design, which is

the discovering of new knowledge. The reality is that the young generation does its learning through

games and technology. Learning is also when discovery happens.

Intervention 18

In addition to the 9 key areas which I mentioned in my presentation earlier, there are 4 additional

points on how we define literacy in the 21st century:

o Literacy is about being able to find information online on platforms such as Google

o Schooling education should be competitive in the international environment

o Text books have a changed role in the era where the Internet dominates the knowledge

depositories

o Schools, teachers and students need to all have a say on education.

Intervention 19

I recommend that students should have a say on their curriculum, rather than adults making the

decisions in education.

Intervention 20

My opinion is that we need only 10% of students to be proficient in English; hence we could have 10%

of national schools adopt the English-medium model of teaching.


Closing Remarks: Dr. Marzuki Mohamad (DPM’s Office)

I have listened to comments by the participants and I will convey the message to the Minister. I would

like to comment on Dato‟ Saifuddin‟s remarks - the Education Review should is not be done in a

vacuum; instead it should have some context, as there are different views about quality of the

education system. According to the World Economic Forum Report as mentioned earlier by Dato‟

Saifuddin Abdullah, our education system is good or even better than other countries. This is not

surprising. In yet another survey which I came across, the World Economic Forum surveyed a larger

sample of more than a thousand Malaysian adults, and the majority stated that the quality of the

education system in Malaysia is comparable to the developed ones.

We are in a transition period; we have done a good job in educating our young minds, but to face the

new 21st Century challenges, we will need new skills, and to re-think on how to improve the ability of

students to analyse and to communicate effectively rather than just memorise facts. Sadly, even with

9As, some of these students lack the ability to communicate effectively, and they hold poor analytical

skills. These could be because of the system itself, since we mainly teach students to answer exam

questions and to seek better grades.

In order to move forward, acquiring the soft skills component is important, as well as the ability to

communicate effectively in multiple languages. In order to improve the quality of education we need to

have good quality teachers. I fully agreed that we need to focus on teachers‟ training.

Other existing challenges that we are facing include that thousands of graduates apply to be teachers

however only a small percentage of those are competent and well-equipped teachers. Our

observation is that the teaching profession is not the first choice in comparison to engineering, law,

etc. How to make the teaching profession a professional choice? With many solutions in hand stated

by the participants, the reality is that the teaching force has been there for too long; there are 400,000

of teachers who have been teaching for 10-30 years and you cannot simply fire all of them. They have

become demoralised and static in their position. We need better training for these teachers, such as

in-service training.

In order to prepare our children for the future, we need to realise that we need to equip the students

with different skills and improve the quality of the education system.

The three important areas that need immediate review that emerge from this discussion are English

competency, soft skills and teacher‟s training. All these elements will be looked at when we do the

education review.


Appendix

APPENDIX 1: Programme

PROHAM, ASLI-CPPS & KITA ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON

EDUCATION REFORM AND PROCESS OF CONSULTATION

Date: April 16, 2012 (Mon)

Time: 8.30pm to 10.30pm – (Dinner served from 7.00pm)

Venue: PJ Hilton, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Last year in December, the Deputy Prime Minster Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin established the National

Education System Evaluation Panel comprising seven experts with the mandate to undertake an

overall evolution of the national education system since the Razak Report 1956. The aim is to

improve the quality of education in the country to be on par with that of developed countries.

In addition this year the DPM who is also the Education Minster announced holding nationwide

National Education Dialogues to receive feedback from the general public. The DPM affirmed that his

Ministry “will listen to the views, recommendations and ideas from the various strata of the society,

from the various races and from the stakeholders.

In this context Persatuan Promosi Hak Asasi Manusia (PROHAM), ASLI-Centre for Public Policy

Studies (CPPS) together with the Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA), University Kebangsaan Malaysia

(UKM) have taken the initiative to host a Roundtable Discussion to provide feedback to Tan Sri

Muhyiddin Yassin. We are hoping to present the findings to him on April 23, 2012 when he officiates

the 16th Malaysian Education Summit organised by ASLI.

Earlier this year on 27 February 2012, CPPS-ASLI hosted a Roundtable Discussion on Vernacular

Schools in Malaysia recognising that there is a need to review the Education Act and National

Education policy to address issues like the falling quality of education and increasing mono-ethnicity

in national schools. The RTD welcomed the move but also expressed concerns on the composition of

the review panel and its objectives.

It is hoped that the 16 April RTD on Education Reform and Process of Consultation will further

contribute to the on-going discussion. Therefore a small focus group of educationists, academicians,

private sector and civil society leaders can provide their views and recommendations as the Federal

government undertakes this national review and consultation to receive feedback from the citizenry.

While the RTD starts with some thoughts from a number of invited participants (about 10 minutes

each), there is ample opportunity for all participants to share their views (about 3 to 5 minutes each).

Objectives:

To analyse the current education system noting the challenges and achievements,

recognising historical origins, diversity of educational streams and contemporary

regional and international competitive global society


To recommend specific changes that need to be made to the laws, policies,

education methods, educational institutions and agencies both in the public and

private sector

To provide ideas on how to ensure effective feedback during consultation processes

from all sections of the Malaysian society so as to be very inclusive in discussions

and receiving input

PROGRAM

Word of Welcome & Introductions

Tan Sri Simon Sipaun, (Proham Chairman)

Panel Presentations:

Tan Sri Chan Choong Tak (Former Senate Speaker & member of the Cluster School Board)

Tan Sri T. Marimuthu (Former Professor of Education, University Malaya)

YB Dato‟ Saifuddin Abdullah (Deputy High Education Minister)

RTD Moderator

Tan Sri Dato Asiah Abu Samah (Former DG of Education & Proham member)

INTERVENTION BY RTD PARTICIPANTS

Closing summary of RTD Findings - Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria (KITA-UKM)


APPENDIX 2: Participants List

No Name Organisation

1 Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah Deputy Higher Education Minister

2 Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria Principal Research Fellow, KITA-UKM &

PROHAM

3 Ms Jenny Gryzelius Senior Researcher, IDEAS

4 Ms Sarah Lim Assisting DatukDr Denison Jayasooria

5 Puan Karimah Tan Abdullah CEO, Yayasan Pintar

6 Tan Sri Simon Sipaun PROHAM

7 Dr. Gan Siowck Lee Curriculum & Instruction specialist, formerly

associate professor of UPM

8 Tan Sri Chan ChoongTak former Speaker of Senate and Member of

Cluster School Board; MoE

9 Ms Ho Sook Wah UPM

10 Assoc Prof Dr Wong Bee Eng UPM

11 Nithi Nesadurai Director of Nesa Communications

12 Tan Sri Dato‟ Asiah Abu Samah Former DG of Education and Proham

member

13 Tan Sri Chan Choong Tak Former Senate Speaker & Member of the

Cluster School Board

14 Prof Dr NS Rajendran Aminuddin Baki Centre for Global Education/

UPSI

16 Tan Sri Dato Dr T Marimuthu Mantan Ahli Parlimen Teluk Kemang of

Koperasi Didik Berhad/ MIC Education

Committee

17 Mr Khor Hong Yin Yin Methodist Education Secretary

18 Ms Leow Lee Lin Methodist College

19 Mr Azlan Sharom Chief Executive Officer; Yayasan Pintar

20 Dr Marzuki Mohamad DPM special officer

21 Brother Anthony Rogers Director of the De La Salle Brothers in

Malaysia

22 Dato Nelson Rengasamy Founder/ chairman, regent international

school


23 Ms Anis Yusoff, Principal Research fellow, KITA, UKM

24 Mr Khairil Ahmad IIU

25 Justina Chen CPPS

26 Arlene Tan CPPS

27 Mr Razif Nasruddin Thinklab

28 Mr Fadzmel Office of Deputy Education Minister

29 Ms Hashini K. K. Reporter, the New Straits Times

30 Ms Lauanyia Reporter, the New Straits Times

31 Mr Jason Leong SIP Consulting

32 Tan Sri Simon Sipaun Chairman, PROHAM

33 KDR Hashim Adnan NUTP

34 Datuk A. Vaithilingam Independent

35 Dr Syahira Hamidon KPT

36 Ms Stephanie Sta marie Free Malaysia Today

37 Dato‟ Mohd Dahan Latiff Introspe k Asia

38 Dr Marzuki Mohamad DPM‟s Office


APPENDIX 3: Additional notes by Muhamad Razif Nasruddin

For many years, the secondary education system was clearly created to the advantage of science

stream students. The inorganic and linear system no longer fits the criteria of today's second

enlightenment period (today's information age), whereby it punishes and discourages options for

students in other streams such as Economics, Arts, Vocational, etc to grow and build new knowledge

for society.

Since any radical educational reform will do more damage, we at Make Condition Design / Thinklab,

suggest that a new stream could be subtly created, consisting of Science and Arts, as it will help build

new critical thinking dimensions for Secondary students and help build stronger soft skills as they

enter tertiary education. Hence, the suggestion of naming it Design stream could be considered as to

further empower the students, and possibly encourage them to be great future world leaders.

APPENDIX 4: Additional Notes by Dato’ Dahan Latiff

I did propose that the government convert or change 10% of the existing schools to English Medium

schools out of 10,000 existing schools to allow choice from parents; and to achieve a target of at least

10% of students/Malaysians being competent in English, ensuring global competitiveness and

maintaining the global talent standard. Unfortunately, the current reality is that most of the

undergraduates who are supposed to have 12 years of English as a subject learned in school are

simply atrocious when it comes to speaking English, and not much repair work can be done in the 3

years of university education.

The other 90% of parents and students ought to be given the choice of Chinese, Tamil and Malay

education.

I would like to propose two solutions for ensuring committed quality teachers:

One criterion for selecting future teachers into teachers‟ training should be that they must

have taught at least 6 months at the kindergarten level first.

Many kindergarten teachers have better understanding of handling children‟s psychology than

Primary ones who often suppress the enthusiasm of kindergarten children when they enter

primary school. The children who can speak English from kindergarten are ridiculed in the

primary school by both peers and teachers. This happened to two of my grandchildren, so

now they shifted to international school since their dad can afford the expensive tuition fees.

APPENDIX 5: Recommendations on Education For Orang Asli

(a) We need to reduce the dropout rate among Orang Asli students

We need to modify the system/educational curriculum to suit the culture and environment of

Orang Asli communities.


We need to give priority to the quality of transportation and appropriate hostel facilities as well

as expose teachers and students of different races to the cultural sensitivities of the Orang

Asli to stop discrimination in schools.

We need to inculcate a self-esteem programme for higher self-confidence among Orang Asli

students or parents.

In the school we need to hold programmes through which teachers understand the Orang Asli

communities and through which parents become part of the school community, in order to

eliminate an environment where schools and communities are separate entities.

(b) Essential elements of a culturally-appropriate education system

Introduce the history, culture and traditional sports/crafts/economy/music of the indigenous

people as subjects to be taught in schools, wherever there are Orang Asli children.

Employ Orang Asli teachers as far as possible to teach Orang Asli students.

Create curriculum content and pedagogical studies to suit the Orang Asli situation and

environment.

(c) Multi-lingual education system

Employ qualified indigenous language teachers.

Test and produce books in Orang Asli languages.

Introduce foundational language programmes at pre-school level.

(d) How the Ministry of Education can strengthen education and pedagogy of indigenous people

Recognise indigenous languages and adopt these in the national education system.

Actively involve implementing agencies and indigenous communities (village organisations

and Parent-Teacher Associations).

Improve the education system at all levels.

Allow flexibility in requirements and create a bigger quota for indigenous people to enter

universities, Teacher Education Institutes and other tertiary institutions.

(e) Recommendations to the JAKOA

Provide in-depth explanation of scholarship procedures to the Orang Asli.

Streamline and improve the delivery system, including providing accurate information/data for

smooth delivery of aid and support to the target groups.

Inform the batin (village head) to ensure more effective dissemination of information.

Provide financial assistance to Orang Asli students who wish to study in Chinese and Tamil

primary schools.

(f) General recommendations to the Government

All departments and agencies involved with indigenous people should work together in

restructuring and formulating the relevant policies.

Appoint more Orang Asli to government posts.

APPENDIX 6: Recommendations – Sabah Workshop

a) Achieve culturally-appropriate curricula by introducing, for example, vocational subjects that

are founded on indigenous economic activities.


b) The Sabah Education Department and relevant Ministries need to work towards the

recognition of indigenous ways of learning and of institutions.

c) Efforts to introduce indigenous perspectives in the mainstream education system should not

be hampered by lack of understanding by the Government, but work towards overcoming the

poor interface between traditional and mainstream education systems and institutions.

d) The Ministry needs to look into the issue of discrimination of indigenous people, poor

accessibility and inadequate public spending, particularly in rural areas where most of the

indigenous people live.

e) The institutionalisation of educational services and tight control by the State – which does not

allow much room for NGOs and communities to contribute more effectively in the system –

should be reviewed.

APPENDIX 7: Presentation Paper by YB Dato’ Saifuddin Abdullah

Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia has identified 9 key areas of focus:

1) standard of teachers.

2) Quality of school heads.

3) Quality of schools.

4) School curriculum & evaluation.

5) Multilingual proficiency.

6) Post-school opportunities.

7) Role of parents & community.

8) Utilisation of resources.

9) Administrative structure of KPM

Dato Saifuddin Abdullah has highlighted 9 characteristics of a good person to be nurtured by the

school:

1) pursuit of knowledge

2) Communication skills

3) Critical thinking

4) Moral reasoning

5) Good citizen

6) Living in a plural society

7) Living in a global society

8) Have life interests

9) Prepared for careers

Thus in order to get there, we need to:

1) Introduce new streams, not limited to arts/sciences

2) Strengthen co-curricular from 10:90 to 30:70 ratio against academic

3) Establish new school governance structure

4) Practice student empowerment


APPENDIX 8: Presentation Paper by Tan Sri Chan Choong Tak


APPENDIX 9: Principal of “Maximum Consultation” by the Malaysian Christian

School Council

DASAR “MAXIMUM CONSULTATION”

The Principle of Maximum Consultation MALAYAN CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS‟ COUNCIL

MAC 2012

Mukadimah

Satu permuafakatan antara Kerajaan dengan pihak Berkuasa Mubaligh berkaitan dengan pelantikan

guru terutamanya Pengetua dan Guru Besar sekolah-sekolah Mubaligh telah direncana dan

didokumenkan dengan sempurna dan baik yang termaktub dalam laporan semakan semula Laporan

Persuruhanjaya Di Raja bagi Perkhidmatan Guru, Semenanjung Malaysia, Jun 1971 (Aziz Report)

ternyata seperti di bawah:

8.53 “To allay any misgivings as regards the status and the special character of …., particularly the

mission schools …, we would suggest that in exercising the powers of deployment and assignment of

teachers, there should be maximum consultation between the deployment authority and the individual

Boards of the school so that this character is maintained.”

Dasar ini telah didukung dan dipertahankan oleh Tun Dr. Mahathir Bin Mohammed, bekas Menteri

Pelajaran pada tahun 1976 melalui sepucuk surat beliau kepada pihak Berkuasa Mubaligh Sabah

yang diperjelaskan seperti di bawah:-

“… the appointment and transfer of Heads of Schools shall be made by the Director of Education in

consultation with the heads of the relevant Church.”

Dasar pelaksanaan “Maximum Consultation” bagi pelantikan Pengetua dan Guru Besar telah diulangi

dan diperkukuhkan lagi oleh Datuk Seri Najib Bin Tun Abdul Razak, Perdana Menteri Malaysia ketika

menghadiri satu Majlis Jamuan Makan Tengahari dengan Ketua-Ketua Pertubuhan Gereja Agama

Kristian pada 4hb Januari 2012.

I. Maksud Pihak Berkuasa Mubaligh

Pihak Berkuasa Mubaligh bererti Pengasas Sekolah Mubaligh serta Pemilik berdaftar tapak tanah

dan bangunan sekolah.

II. Dasar Pelaksanaan “Maximum Consultation”

Dasar pelaksanaan “Maximum Consultation” bererti “full consultation” atau berunding dengan

sepenuhnya dengan pihak Berkuasa Mubaligh atau

wakilnya, berhubung dengan pelantikan dan pertukaran guru terutamanya Pengetua dan Guru Besar

(Laporan Aziz).

III. Tujuan “Maximum Consultation”

Memastikan pelantikan Pengetua, Guru Besar dan Penolong Kanan adalah terdiri daripada calon-

calon yang berpengetahuan dan berkomited bagi mempertahankan dan memartabatkan watak yang

unggul, etos dan tradisi sekolah-sekoah Mubaligh (Rujuk Appendix: Ethos, Special Character and

Traditions of Malaysian Christian Mission Schools: MCSC, 2012 Publication)


IV. Proses “Maximum Consultation”

1. Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia dipohon agar memaklumkan kepada pihak Berkuasa Mubaligh

tentang kewujudan kekosongan jawatan Pengetua dan Guru Besar akibat daripada persaraan,

pertukaran, kenaikan pangkat atau kematian pegawai kanan tersebut dengan kadar sebeberapa

cepat yang mungkin.

2. Pihak Berkuasa Mubaligh berkenaan atau wakilnya akan membuat pencalonannya dan bertemu

dengan pegawai Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia yang berkaitan untuk mengenalpasti dan

berbincang kelayakan dan kesesuaian calon. Pihak Kementerian juga akan mengemukakan

pencalonannya.

3. Sekiranya calon pihak Berkuasa Mubaligh atau Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia tidak dapat

dipersetujui, maka proses perundingan atau “consultation” perlu dilanjutkan dan diteruskan bagi

pelantikan dan tindakan susulan pada suatu tempoh masa yang bersesuaian.

V. Kesimpulan DASAR “MAXIMUM CONSULTATION”

Mukadimah

Satu permuafakatan antara Kerajaan dengan pihak Berkuasa Mubaligh berkaitan dengan pelantikan

guru terutamanya Pengetua dan Guru Besar sekolah-sekolah Mubaligh telah direncana dan

didokumenkan dengan sempurna dan baik yang termaktub dalam laporan semakan semula Laporan

Persuruhanjaya Di Raja bagi Perkhidmatan Guru, Semenanjung Malaysia, Jun 1971 (Aziz Report)

ternyata seperti di bawah:

8.53 “To allay any misgivings as regards the status and the special character of …., particularly the

mission schools …, we would suggest that in exercising the powers of deployment and assignment of

teachers, there should be maximum consultation between the deployment authority and the individual

Boards of the school so that this character is maintained.”

Dasar ini telah didukung dan dipertahankan oleh Tun Dr. Mahathir Bin Mohammed, bekas Menteri

Pelajaran pada tahun 1976 melalui sepucuk surat beliau kepada pihak Berkuasa Mubaligh Sabah

yang diperjelaskan seperti di bawah:-

“… the appointment and transfer of Heads of Schools shall be made by the Director of Education in

consultation with the heads of the relevant Church.”

Dasar pelaksanaan “Maximum Consultation” bagi pelantikan Pengetua dan Guru Besar telah diulangi

dan diperkukuhkan lagi oleh Datuk Seri Najib Bin Tun Abdul Razak, Perdana Menteri Malaysia ketika

menghadiri satu Majlis Jamuan Makan Tengahari dengan Ketua-Ketua Pertubuhan Gereja Agama

Kristian pada 4hb Januari 2012.

I. Maksud Pihak Berkuasa Mubaligh

Pihak Berkuasa Mubaligh bererti Pengasas Sekolah Mubaligh serta Pemilik berdaftar tapak tanah

dan bangunan sekolah.

II. Dasar Pelaksanaan “Maximum Consultation”

Dasar pelaksanaan “Maximum Consultation” bererti “full consultation” atau berunding dengan

sepenuhnya dengan pihak Berkuasa Mubaligh atau

wakilnya, berhubung dengan pelantikan dan pertukaran guru terutamanya Pengetua dan Guru Besar

(Laporan Aziz).

III. Tujuan “Maximum Consultation”


Memastikan pelantikan Pengetua, Guru Besar dan Penolong Kanan adalah terdiri daripada calon-

calon yang berpengetahuan dan berkomited bagi mempertahankan dan memartabatkan watak yang

unggul, etos dan tradisi sekolah-sekoah Mubaligh (Rujuk Appendix: Ethos, Special Character and

Traditions of Malaysian Christian Mission Schools: MCSC, 2012 Publication)

IV. Proses “Maximum Consultation”

1. Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia dipohon agar memaklumkan kepada pihak Berkuasa Mubaligh

tentang kewujudan kekosongan jawatan Pengetua dan Guru Besar akibat daripada persaraan,

pertukaran, kenaikan pangkat atau kematian pegawai kanan tersebut dengan kadar sebeberapa

cepat yang mungkin.

2. Pihak Berkuasa Mubaligh berkenaan atau wakilnya akan membuat pencalonannya dan bertemu

dengan pegawai Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia yang berkaitan untuk mengenalpasti dan

berbincang kelayakan dan kesesuaian calon. Pihak Kementerian juga akan mengemukakan

pencalonannya.

3. Sekiranya calon pihak Berkuasa Mubaligh atau Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia tidak dapat

dipersetujui, maka proses perundingan atau “consultation” perlu dilanjutkan dan diteruskan bagi

pelantikan dan tindakan susulan pada suatu tempoh masa yang bersesuaian.

V. Kesimpulan

1. Sepucuk surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas daripada Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia berkaitan dengan

arahan pelaksanaan dasar “maximum consultation” pelantikan Pengetua dan Guru Besar sekolah-

sekolah Mubaligh harus disampaikan kepada Pengarah Pelajaran semua negeri untuk pengetahuan

dan tindakan susulan.

2. Sepucuk surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas daripada Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia berkaitan dengan

arahan pelaksanaan dasar “maximum consultation” pelantikan Pengetua dan Guru Besar sekolah-

sekolah Mubaligh harus disampaikan kepada Pengarah Pelajaran semua negeri untuk pengetahuan

dan tindakan susulan.

education reform and process of consultation

Documents